Kosovo postage stamp issued on the
10th
anniversary of the Racak massacre

The massacre of 45 unarmed Kosovo Albanians by Serb
forces was one of numerous such attacks on the civilian population. But this particular
bloodbath finally catalyzed NATO to intervene. The Yugoslav denial that civilians were
killed at Racak has been echoed by some journalists and organizations. This page presents
documentation and commentary on what actually happened at Racak.

Statement regarding the Racak Massacre
The Security Council strongly condemns the massacre of Kosovo Albanians in the
village of Racak in southern Kosovo, Federal Republic of Yugoslavia, on 15
January 1999, as reported by the Kosovo Verification Mission of the
Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe. It notes with deep
concern that the report of the Mission states that the victims were
civilians, including women and at least one child.
United Nations Security Council, January 19, 1999

Special Report: Massacre of Civilians in RacakOn 15th January 1999, in the
village of Racak (Stimlje), 45 Albanian civilians were killed. The victims
include one female and one boy. The facts as verified by the KVM include
evidence of arbitrary detentions, extra-judicial killings, and the mutilation
of unarmed civilians by the security forces of the Federal Republic of
Yugoslavia. Kosovo Verification Mission, January
17, 1999

The truth behind the killings of 45 ethnic Albanians must be found "This brutal crime is chillingly similar to the first
reports of large-scale killings of ethnic Albanian civilians, less than one
year ago," Amnesty International said. "The truth about what happened then was
never established, and those responsible are therefore still free." On 18
January, the chief prosecutor of the International Criminal Tribunal for
former Yugoslavia, Louise Arbour, was stopped at the border between the Former
Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia and the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia, and
banned from entering the country. -- Amnesty International, January 18, 1999

Serbs Tried To Cover Up Massacre; Kosovo Reprisal Plot Bared by Phone TapsThe attack on Racak that led to
the killing of 45 ethnic Albanian civilians 12 days ago came at the orders of
senior officials of the Serb-led Belgrade government who then orchestrated a
coverup following an international outcry, according to telephone intercepts
by Western governments.--R. Jeffrey
Smith, Washington Post, January 28, 1999

After a detailed investigation, the organization accused Serbian special
police forces and the Yugoslav army of indiscriminately attacking civilians, torturing
detainees, and committing summary executions. The evidence suggests that government forces
had direct orders to kill village inhabitants over the age of fifteen.

The killing of forty-five ethnic Albanian civilians has provoked an
apparent shift in western policy toward Kosovo, which the Contact Group is meeting in
London today to discuss.

A report in the Washington Post yesterday provided excerpts from
telephone conversations between Serbian Interior Ministry General Sreten Lukic and
Yugoslav Deputy Prime Minister Nikola Sainovic, who clearly ordered government security
forces to go in heavy in Racak. The two officials later discussed ways that
the killings might be covered up to avoid international condemnation.

Human Rights Watch conducted separate interviews in Kosovo with fourteen
witnesses to the attack, many of whom are hiding out of fear for their lives, as well as
with foreign journalists and observers who visited Racak on January 16. Together, the
testimonies suggest a well planned and executed attack by government forces on civilians
in Racak, where the KLA had a sizable presence and had conducted some ambushes on police
patrols.
-- Human Rights Watch, January 29, 1999

The Ghost VillageWhile the
international furor over the Racak killings mounted, widows and orphans from the village
hid away in dark rooms and tried to make sense of the horrible events of January 15. A
mother recalls the death of her son, and a young boy describes how he found the bodies of
his father, cousin and others. Meantime, a Serb policeman who took part in the events
still keeps watch over the village from a nearby checkpoint. -- Gordana Igric,
Institute
for War and Peace Reporting, February 1, 1999

Report
of the EU Forensic Expert Team on the Racak Incident The bodies
found in a gully near Racak were most likely shot where found. Their clothing bore no
identifying badges or insignia of any military unit. No indication of removal of badges or
insignia was evident. Based on autopsy findings (e.g. bullet holes, coagulated blood) and
photographs of the scenes, it is highly unlikely that clothes could have been changed or
removed. -- Statement of Dr. Ranta, March 17, 1999

Kosovo Killings Called a Massacre An independent
forensic report into the killings of 40 ethnic
Albanians in the Kosovo village of Racak in
January has found that the victims were unarmed
civilians executed in an organized massacre,
some of them forced to kneel before being
sprayed with bullets, according to Western
sources familiar with the report. The findings
by Finnish forensic experts contradict claims by officials of the Serb-led
Yugoslav government that the dead were armed
ethnic Albanian separatists or civilians
accidentally caught in a cross-fire between
government security forces and separatist
rebels. Western officials have blamed the
killings on government police. By R. Jeffrey
Smith, The Washington Post, March 17, 1999

Racak
killings 'crime against humanity' A
final report by forensic experts into the killing of 40 Kosovo Albanians in the village of
Racak concludes the victims were unarmed civilians. Dr. Helena Ranta, the forensic expert
who led a team carrying out post mortems on the bodies of victims called the Racak deaths
a "crime against humanity." Dr. Ranta said there were no signs that the victims
were anything other than unarmed civilians and that they were most likely shot where they
were found. She said there was no reason to conclude that the victims were members of the
separatist Kosovo Liberation Army or that they were killed accidentally. -- BBC, March 17,
1999

Report: Kosovo killings "crime against humanity"A Finnish forensic team said Wednesday that the killing of dozens of unarmed
ethnic Albanian civilians in Kosovo in January was a "crime against humanity."
The report presented the findings of a forensic investigation into the deaths of 45 ethnic
Albanians who were found in a gully at the village of Racak. From the pattern of bullet
wounds, clothing and possessions on the victims, the pathologists found no reason to
conclude they were killed accidentally or were members of the KLA. "The Racak events
have been described as a 'massacre,'" the report said. "However, such a
conclusion does not fall within the competence of the European Union forensic team or any
other person having participated solely in the investigation of the bodies. The term
'massacre' ... is a legal description of the circumstances surrounding the deaths of
persons as judged from comprehensive analysis of all available information." -- CNN,
March 17, 1999

Racak Report Finds
Serbs GuiltyIn the report, Dr. Ranta wrote:
'Medico-legal investigations cannot give a conclusive answer to the question whether there
was a battle or whether the victims died under some other circumstances.' But Dr. Ranta
threw out Serb claims that the dead were combatants and that their bodies had been
tampered with, making Racak a 'set-up'. Western diplomatic sources said Dr. Ranta was
under political pressure to suppress the more controversial findings for fear of upsetting
last-ditch peace talks in Paris between ethnic Albanian and Serb leaders. But after
repeated questioning as to how she would characterise Racak, she told a packed press
conference in Kosovo's regional capital, Pristina: 'This is a crime against humanity,
yes.' -- The Guardian, March 18, 1999

War Crimes Indictment
of Milosevic and others, Section 66 (a):
On or about 15 January 1999, in the early morning hours, the village of Racak
(Stimlje/Shtime municipality) was attacked by forces of the FRY and Serbia. After shelling
by the VJ units, the Serb police entered the village later in the morning and began
conducting house-to-house searches. Villagers, who attempted to flee from the Serb police,
were shot throughout the village. A group of approximately 25 men attempted to hide in a
building, but were discovered by the Serb police. They were beaten and then were removed
to a nearby hill, where the policemen shot and killed them. Altogether, the forces of the
FRY and Serbia killed approximately 45 Kosovo Albanians in and around Racak. (Those
persons killed who are known by name are set forth in Schedule A, which is attached as an
appendix to this indictment.) -- May 22, 1999 (Amended October 16, 2001)

Kosovo: the untold story (Part 1) The Observer's
definitive account of the Kosovo war. The Racak
massacre was a revenge attack planned by Yugoslav forces under General Sreten
Lukic, head of the Ministry of Interior forces in Kosovo.
-- Peter
Beaumont and Patrick Wintour, The Observer (London), July 18, 1999Kosovo: the untold story
(Part 2)

KOSOVO / KOSOVA:
As Seen, As Told (Part V, pages
353-357.) On 15 January 1999, in the
village of Racak/Recak, 45 Kosovo Albanian civilians were killed. Among the
victims were an 18-year-old woman and a 12-year-old child. Events and facts as
verified by the OSCE-KVM indicated evidence of arbitrary detentions,
extra-judicial killings and the mutilation of unarmed civilians by the
security forces of the FRY. --
OSCE Kosovo Verification Mission, July 1999

Raçak - Mutation of a MassacreThis review
of an article by Diana Johnstone shows that she uncritically repeats Serbian government
propaganda on Racak, and that her work is characterized
by missing evidence, a paucity of sources, the spreading of untruths, and conspiracy
theories.

-- Peter Wuttke, November 18, 1999 (Newly translated from the
original German, March 2002.)

Autopsy ReportsCarried out by the Finnish Forensic Expert Team in January 1999
at the Institute of Forensic Medicine in Pristina. Very large files.
Further autopsy report (Tab 13, 749 pages) -
contact Balkan Witness for a copy. 297 MB PDF
file.

The Work of the Forensic
Expert Team (Executive Summary)The
European Union Forensic Expert Team in Kosovo, led by Dr. Helena Ranta, was established in
response to requests from the international community, including the EU and
non-governmental human rights organisations, to provide forensic expertise to investigate
the sites of alleged grave violations against civilians in Kosovo. This document is a
summary of the team's report to the EU. -- July 2000

This is a scholarly report in a
forensic science magazine, by members of the Finnish team of forensic experts that
conducted autopsies on many of the Racak victims. This report adds little to the record
above, aside from details of the autopsy procedures. In this report the authors are
careful to limit themselves to relating what they personally observed, without making
conclusions of a political nature. However, their scholarly approach has been
misinterpreted by Yugoslav authorities, some journalists, and other commentators as
indicating that there was no massacre at Racak. The context of this report and the earlier
report of this team, along with remarks by Dr. Ranta, the team leader, make it clear that
these commentators have misinterpreted this report.

The report states, in part:

In January 1999, a team of Finnish forensic experts under the mandate of
the European Union (EU forensic expert team, EU-FET) performed forensic investigations in
a sovereign state, in Kosovo, the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia (FRY). The team served as
a neutral participant in the forensic investigation of victims of an incident at Racak,
which was receiving considerable international attention. The Finnish team performed
forensic autopsies, monitored forensic autopsies performed by local experts and verified
findings of earlier executed autopsies. The victims had sustained varying numbers of
gunshot wounds, which were established to be the cause of death.

The function of forensic investigation is the detailed and skilled
documentation of biological facts. It is partly on the basis of these objective documents
that the responsible authorities can draw their conclusions. Besides the documentation of
findings, the forensic investigation of victims in political or ethnic conflict is
reasonable because the investigation defines the probabilities and can eliminate certain
versions of events. The definition of the course of events consists of many elements.
Speculation about different possibilities can be directed more justifiably when certain
limits are imposed, including those circumscribed by medical data.

The mandate of the forensic experts should be specified exactly to avoid
unrealistic expectations and uncertainty as to their role. Forensic pathologists can
determine the cause and manner of death and note other injuries, pathological changes and
facts for identification. Determination of reasons for events, their political and moral
meanings, or the connection of victims to political or other organisations are questions
which lie beyond the scope of forensic science. This should be realised by the authorities
and also by the forensic scientists themselves. The forensic pathologists of the EU-FET
have not submitted any opinions concerning aspects of international law.

Investigation of a large number of victims within a short period of time
may not be feasible in many places. Even when investigation is materially and
professionally possible to carry out with local experts, the presence or participation of
independent specialists often raises the credibility of the investigation. Forensic
experts from Yugoslavia, Finland and Belorussia participated in the investigation of the
victims from Racak. This double-checking was fruitful because forensic pathologists seldom
work under the pressure of such international publicity. Having some differences in
practical questions between different schools complemented the end result. The autopsy
findings were discussed in full professional consensus.

In the investigation of the victims from Racak, 60% were autopsied
either by ourselves or in our presence, and for 40% we performed an external examination.
For the latter, complete autopsies had been performed earlier. In both groups, the final
conclusions were equally strong. When the number of victims is large and similar injuries
are sustained, the significance of separate injuries is not always as great as it is in
the investigation of homicide, suicide or accident in a single case; more important is the
entirety. Therefore, some of the victims can be investigated in less detail following a
thorough investigation of some of the others.

Subsequent to the investigation, Yugoslavian authorities have informed
the media that no grounds exist for bringing charges against any Serbian police regarding
the Racak incident. The International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia (ICTY),
however, has charged five Yugoslavian officials, including the President of the FRY, with
crimes against humanity and violations of the laws or customs of war. The first of the
seven charges is based upon events at Racak.

The Bloodbath in Racak was a
MassacreNewspaper interview with Dr. Helena Ranta, leader of
the Finnish forensic team that participated in autopsies of the Racak victims. She states
unequivocally that the Racak victims were unarmed civilians. -- NRC Handelsblad,
March 10, 2001

FAIR
Misrepresents the Racak Massacre In claiming that there
is new evidence casting doubt on claims that the bodies were civilian victims of a
massacre, Fairness and Accuracy In Reporting endorses a biased and error-filled
article on Racak. FAIR misrepresents the position of Dr. Ranta, the forensic pathologist
who investigated the Racak massacre. FAIR's article is at odds with substantial previous
credible documentation on the Racak incident. -- Roger Lippman, April 30, 2001

Finnish expert rejects report used by
Milosevic in defenseA
German humanitarian organization accused television journalists of
manipulating witnesses in a controversial documentary used by Slobodan
Milosevic in his defense before the International War Crimes Tribunal. The
group claimed two journalists at West German Broadcasting (WDR), a public
television station, had manipulated nearly all the witnesses interviewed in
the hour-long documentary. In a statement, the organization claimed this had
occurred in order to support the documentary's angle that western powers had
"lied" about the reasons for the conflict in Kosovo. Dr. Helena Ranta
disavowed that report Friday, saying her comments in it were selectively edited
and distorted.
February 15, 2002

Milosevic
Challenged by Racak SurvivorsSlobodan Milosevic accuses the
West of fabricating a massacre at Racak as a pretext for NATO intervention. One reporter
at the scene recalls the survivors' testimony. -- Gordana
Igric, IWPR, February 18, 2002

Tribunal
Judges Restrict Racak EvidenceThe
prosecution in the Milosevic trial said there was no shortage of witness
testimony to back its claims, but a trial deadline on the presentation of
evidence meant that it could not give a full account of the alleged killings
in the Kosovo Albanian village. The prosecution's investigation into the Racak
case examined some 62 witness statements. At first, it counted on 30 witnesses
giving evidence at The Hague. The number was cut to five. Of these, only one
will testify "in vivo", while the others will give written
statements. They will only come to the tribunal to be cross-examined by the
defendant. -- Mirko
Klarin, IWPR, May 27, 2002 (Republished May 1, 2005)

Expert Testifies Racak Not StagedDr. Helena Ranta's
testimony summarized. She reiterated that
"There were no indications of people [the Racak massacre victims] being other
than unarmed civilians." --
Judith Armatta, Coalition for
International Justice, March 12, 2003

Milosevic Trial:
Danica MarinkovicFormer Kosovo
investigative judge Danica Marinkovic, who conducted the official Serbian state
investigation into the Racak massacre, gave testimony, which aimed to
support Milosevic’s view that the massacre was staged in order to serve as
an excuse for the air strikes. But her testimony failed to bring any
important new material or factual evidence to the case, and she ended up
presenting just a different interpretation of the facts that were mostly
already heard in court during the prosecution part of the trial.
IWPR, March 25, 2005

Further testimony by Dr.
Ranta: April 8, April 12,
April 13, 2005
More on Helena Ranta's testimony, and on the testimony
of Serbian pathologist Dr. Slavisa Dobricanin, who testified as part of
Slobodan Milosevic's defense case in an effort to undermine Ranta's
evidence.

Racak testimony in The Hague Albanians who stated
that Racak victims were KLA fighters apparently did so under torture by
Serbian police, according to testimony at the trial of Milosevic. -- IWPR,
June 17, 2005

Kosovo Marks Racak Massacre Anniversary Kosovo
Albanians gathered in the village of Racak on
Thursday to mark the 10th anniversary of the
massacre of more than 40 ethnic Albanians by Serb
security forces. The massacre is one of the most
hotly contested incidents of the Kosovo conflict,
with Serbia still denying its role in the killings.
Even the number of victims is not fixed, estimated
at between 40 and 45 people. -- Balkan Insight, January 16, 2009

Serbia Continues Denial of Racak Massacre Radio Srbija,
January 15, 2009
This item by Serbian state radio's international broadcast service is
significant in that it demonstrates how little official Belgrade has
modified its view of the 1998-1999 Kosovo war, even under its current
democratic government. Serbian President Boris Tadic and his prime minister
have Milosevic's SPS as a coalition partner. The interior minister in the
present government was the Serbian Socialist Party's (and thus Milosevic's)
official press spokesman during the 1998-1999 Kosovo war.